Triple-A Outfielder Of The Week: Reno Aces’ Pete O’Brien

Pete O’Brien during the MLB game at Chase Field on September 11, 2015 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Getty Images)

Many question where Pete O’Brien would fit in on the Arizona Diamondbacks’ roster. Would he stay at his natural position behind the plate at catcher, or play the infield at first or third base, maybe even at his newly acquired position in outfield? One thing is for sure however, there’s no question at what he can do at the plate.

O’Brien’s offensive presence is something that can’t be overlooked. This season with the Reno Aces of the Pacific Coast League, he is hitting .372 with an on-base percentage of .371, slugging .733 and an OPS 1.103. He had a walk-off homer in the the bottom of the twelfth on Sunday against the Albuquerque Isotopes for the 1-0 win. He is tied for most homers in the PCL with Seattle’s Mike Zunino with eight so far this season in twenty-one games. Besides the eight homers he has batted in twenty-two runs, five doubles and one triple for a total of thirty-two hits with just one month of the 2016 season under his belt.

He made his Major League Debut with the Diamondbacks in September 2015 and in eight games had a .400 batting average a homer and three RBIs.

Prior to his big league call-up O’Brien spent the 2015 season with Triple-A Reno with a .284 batting average in 131 games with a solid twenty-six homers and 107 RBIs.

The twenty-five year old was originally drafted by the New York Yankees in the second round of the 2012 MLB Draft while playing at the University of Miami. Drafted as a catcher, O’Brien spent a majority of his time in the Yankees’ organization trying to find a natural fit. He played catcher, first and third base before being traded in
July 2014 to the D-backs as part of the Martin Prado deal. With the D-backs, O’Brien is starting to find his place in left field although he has made some brief appearances behind the plate.

This past Spring, he hit .270 with five homers and 15 RBIs in the Cactus League.

Bethany is a Graduate of the University of South Florida and currently resides in Tampa. She is a die-hard Yankees' fan and has been a freelance writer for six years. She has covered the Yankees' Minor League System since 2010 and also does freelance work for Examiner.com and CBS Local Tampa Bay. Follow her on Twitter @TampaBethany